United Kingdom
With over 9,000 miles of tracks, the United Kingdom has a long railway history. Railway Companies Unlike most other countries where a single (oftentimes state-run) railway company dominates intercity services, UK authorities franchise operations of routes to various railway operators. Each operators is responsible for providing passenger trains to certain stretches the national railway network. However, you may purchase tickets for any railway journey in the country at any of these operators' websites. * c2c operates suburban services between London Fenchurch Street and Essex * Caledonian Sleeper is an overnight train between London Euston, Preston and Scotland - Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Highlands * Chiltern Railways runs stopping trains from London Marylebone through the Chiltern Hills to Birmingham * CrossCountry links most of the UK's major cities from the West Country and South Wales to the North East and Scotland, avoiding London * East Midlands Railway (EMR) runs intercity from London St Pancras to Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, plus local services in the East Midlands * Eurostar connects Britain to Belgium, France and the Netherlands with high-speed rail from London St Pancras * Gatwick Express links London Victoria and Brighton to Gatwick Airport * Grand Central runs from Bradford and Sunderland through Yorkshire to London King's Cross * Great Northern runs suburban trains in north London and the East of England * Great Western Railway (GWR) serves all points west from London Paddington, including the West Country and South Wales * Greater Anglia operate intercity and commuter services between London Liverpool Street and the East * Heathrow Express runs from London Paddington to Heathrow, non-stop * Hull Trains link Yorkshire and Lincolnshire with London King's Cross * Island Line operates 80-year old ex-Tube trains on the Isle of Wight! * London North Eastern Railway (LNER), the East Coast intercity route from London King's Cross to Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Inverness * London Northwestern Railway offers stopping services on the London Euston - Birmingham - Liverpool axis. * London Overground is an urban rail / metro network in London and south Hertfordshire * Merseyrail is an urban rail / metro network in and around Liverpool and Merseyside * Night Riviera Sleeper runs overnight trains between London Paddington, Devon and Cornwall * Northern operates most local and commuter services in the north of England * ScotRail operates Scotland's vast railway network, including Glasgow's numerous urban services * South Western Railway (SWR) runs commuter and local services in south west London, Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset, from London Waterloo * Southeastern runs high-speed, commuter and local services in south east London, East Sussex and Kent * Southern Railway runs commuter and local services in south London, Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex * Stansted Express links London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport * TfL Rail runs suburban service between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield in Essex, and stopping services from London Paddington to Heathrow Airport. * Thameslink operates commuter trains north to south across London from Bedford to Brighton * TransPennine Express knits the cities of northern England and southern Scotland together across scenic Pennine routes * Transport for Wales / Trafnidiaeth Cymru serves Wales, parts of the West Midlands, and up to Manchester * Virgin Trains, the West Coast intercity route from London Euston to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow; also serves North Wales and the Lake District * West Midlands Railway runs commuter and local services in the West Midlands, with an extensive urban rail network in Birmingham Railcards and Discounts Railway travel in the UK can be costly. However, if you are a qualifying traveller, you can purchase a railcard to enjoy a discount of 1/3 off the published fare (except during the peak hours of 05.00-09.30) for a full year. If you purchase a railcard online, you may qualify for a discount on the railcard itself. In addition, online purchases give you the option of purchasing a digital railcard whereby it is downloadable to your phone using an app. * 16-25 Railcard offers a discount of 1/3 on most tickets for anyone aged 16 to 25 and full-time students of any age (with a suitably stamped form from a university). £30 per year or £70 for three years. * 26-30 Railcard offers a discount of 1/3 on most tickets for anyone aged 26 to 30. £30 per year, only available as a mobile 'app'. * Family & Friends Railcard offers a discount of 1/3 on adult fares and 60% on child fares. Up to four adults and four children can travel on one Family & Friends Railcard. At least one named cardholder and one child must be travelling together for the whole journey. £30 per year or £70 for three years. * Senior Railcard Offers a discount of 1/3 on most tickets for anyone aged 60 or over. £30 per year or £70 for three years. * Two Together Railcard New card introduced in 2014 offering a discount of 1/3 for two named people (over 16) travelling together. Both people must have their photos on the card, and must stay together for the whole journey. If you change travelling companion you have to buy a new railcard. * Network Railcard An unusual relic of the pre-privatisation British Rail era: it is a geographically specific railcard that relates to the now obsolete 'Network SouthEast', the British Rail brand for the region of trains that radiate from London and the south east of England. It offers a discount of 1/3 on most tickets for the cardholder and up to three other adults(restrictions apply Monday to Friday) and up to four children, aged 5 to 15 can save 60% on the child fare. Costs £28 a year. * Devon & Cornwall Railcard Another geographic railcard that is only available to people resident in Devon or Cornwall. The card costs just £12 for a year, and gives one third off most Standard Class Off-Peak and Off-Peak Day train tickets across Devon and Cornwall. One accompanying adult also receives one-third off their ticket and you can take up to four accompanying children (aged 5–15) for a flat fare of £1 each (£2 for Day Ranger tickets). The accompanying adult and/or children do not have to be residents of Devon or Cornwall. * Disabled Persons Railcard Offers a discount of 1/3 to eligible disabled or mobility restricted passengers. £20 for one year or £54 for three years. * HM Forces Railcard A similar 1/3 discount available to serving members of the British armed forces and their families. It can only be obtained from military facilities and cannot be purchased at a station. To use the railcard, make sure you select the railcard option when purchasing tickets online or present the railcard itself to the ticket agent. Make sure you bring the physical railcard or the phone containing your digital railcard with you during your journey. The ticket inspector on the train may want to see your railcard so have the railcard handy.